This past Friday at the UCSD Triton Invitational, the Tritons stepped onto their home field eager to come out strong against California State University, Fullerton. The Tritons dominated possession during the game, and forward Suhana Singh quickly found the back of the net. Freshman Luana Veras scored a hat trick, and players Mia Fava, Elli Sandford, and Darya Abolmaali also found the back of the net. By the end of the game, the Tritons were maintaining strong possession and looked very composed on the ball. UCSD sealed the game with an 8-0 victory and the team was excited for the remainder of the tournament.

After coming off a strong 8-0 win against CSU Fullerton, the Tritons were prepared to take on UC Berkeley on Saturday. Immediately, the Tritons were dominating and taking countless shots on target. The back line continued to move the ball forward and gave the Tritons many counterattacks towards the goal. Unfortunately, these efforts weren't enough to get the Tritons on the board first, as Cal was able to get lucky with a free kick over the top, creating a 1v1 with the keeper and making it 0-1 at the half. Ultimately, the Tritons bounced right back as the whistle blew for the start of the second half. Suhana Singh ran down the right wing, placing the ball perfectly at the feet of Luana Veres to have a clean finish in the back at the net. Just a few moments later, Darya Abolmaali was able to intercept the ball and play it to Shima Dixon who finished with a one-touch shot. The Tritons were up 2-1 for the majority of the half until Cal was able to get a shot off from outside the 18. The game, now tied 2-2 with less than a minute left, didn’t seem to bother the Tritons as they were given a corner in the last moments of the game. Suhana Singh proudly stepped up to take it, placing it perfectly at the back post for Isabella Hoyuela to score a beautiful game-winning header goal. The Tritons finished with a hard-fought 3-2 victory.

On Sunday, February 2, the Tritons almost pulled out a win in their semifinal game against UCSB but unfortunately ended the Triton Invitational with a loss. Although this was the third game of the tournament, the Tritons started the game with energy and put the Gauchos under pressure. They fought hard to stay patient and keep possession of the ball, despite the physicality of UCSB. In the second half, the Tritons went up 1-0 with a goal by Jada Romero and an assist from Suhana Singh. The Tritons held their own until the last 5 minutes, when UCSB snuck in a goal, tying up the game. Per tournament rules, when the whistle blew, the game went straight to penalty kicks. Both teams had excellent PKs, but UCSB ended up with the win.